New Head Of School Maintenance Has Mess Of Problems To Clean Up

MIDDLETOWN — As the schools' new supervisor of maintenance and transportation, Kendall Jackson enters an arena of longstanding conflict and controversy.

For more than a year, there have been investigatory hearings, labor problems and contract cancellations.

Does the turmoil worry Jackson? ``It's always easier to come into a position that's had problems,'' he answered philosophically.

Safe to say this 40-year-old Cromwell resident is a glass-half-full kind of guy -- a trait that will serve him well as he assumes oversight of 11 school buildings, including one in the midst of a massive renovation project.

``My sense is I have to develop morale and the team-player philosophy,'' he said. ``It's very important to give people the authority they need to do the job.''

Jackson began his job this week after officials ended an unsuccessful experiment in private oversight by ServiceMaster of cleaning and maintenance services. Closing a stormy tenure that saw cost overruns and worker complaints about training efforts and other issues, ServiceMaster and the city in June mutually agreed to sever ties.

The board unanimously chose Jackson earlier this month after a screening process that started with nearly three dozen candidates. Officials have cited Jackson's personable nature and extensive work in facilities management as key assets.

``I'm just pleased we were able to find somebody with his experience and qualifications in a short . . . period of time,'' school board Chairman John Shaw Jr. said. ``What we have now is back to normalcy, I hope.''

Jackson knows schools. Most recently, he spent two years with the Westport district, and before that three years in Cheshire. In all he's accumulated nearly 15 years as a supervisor of maintenance services -- including about four years overseeing courthouses from New Haven to Norwich.

``No matter how long you've been in the particular field, you can still learn,'' he said. ``Your [education's] never complete.''

Yet, after plunging into his two previous jobs with little knowledge of the communities, Jackson can at least claim some familiarity with this city. He lived in Middletown for about two years in the mid-1980s, and has since settled in Cromwell.

``It's nice to work in the locale where you live,'' he said. ``[And] this community -- they realize the importance of maintaining their . . . investments.''

Jackson explains his role in the city simply: to make sure other people -- teachers and students -- can focus on instructing and learning.

``The better I do my job the less interruption of that [educational] process will occur,'' he says. ``Hate to say it, but I guess [my job is] problem-driven.''

His first task will be working with school staff and construction workers to guarantee Middletown High is ready for students by the start of classes Aug. 31. The 800-student school is amid an $8.55 million building renovation project that's seen some concern about the pace of summer work, but Jackson acknowledges few worries.

``Everyone . . . is cognizant of the importance of getting the school back together,'' he said.